Whip-top.



G. ROWLAND.

WHIP TOP. APPLICATION FILED APR. 24. I918.

Patented Mar. 4,1919.

, means by which the player may, the spinning top withthe whip .ing to be afull, clear,

smooth. With blow of of the lash, and also be GEORGE BOWL, 0E LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

WEE-TSP.

".pecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 4., 1919.

Application filed April 24, 1918. Serial No. 230,461.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonon ROWLAND, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Louisville, in the county of Jefierson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Whip- Tops; and I do hereby declare'the followand'exact description of the inventiomsuch as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in whip-tops. Heretofore whip-tops have been made with their upper portion plain and the lower portion in the shape of an inverted cone. It has also been proposedto provide the upper cylindrical portion with circumferential horizontal. rings or grooves, and widely separated vertical grooves, butin all instances of which I am aware, the upper face of the top has been such construction, when a the whip strikes on the upper surface of the top the lash does not cling to or engage the top in a manner to either impart any rotary motion to it, or draw or pull it away from a wall or other object agalnst which it ma be spinning, but on the contrary, it fo'lows along the wall ,until it ceases spinnin because it cannot be lashed upon its cylin rical side.

The object of my invention is to provide by striking lash, either on its side or upper surface, keep it spinning and accelerate its speed with each blow enabled by striking the top on its upper surface, to cause it to travel away from a wall or fence and out into the open where it can be struck fairly on its roughened cylindrical side.

With this object in view my invention consists in the detailsof construction as will be more fully explained and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in perspective of my im roved top. Fig. 2 is a view showing the position of the top and the whip for starting the spin, and Fig. 3 is a view of the whip, and Fig. 4 is a view of a modified form of top.

The top is made of wood or other suitable material and is composed of an upper cylindrical ortion 5, and a lower inverted conical portlon 6, the latter being provided at its apex with a metal point 7 which may be of the usual well known form. The upper cylindrical portion 5 of the top, is the whip-Windage portion or the part that is struck by the whip lash in spinning, and in order to makethe lash cling to or engage the top suiliciently to rotate it, I provide the cylindrical portion with vertical corrugations 8, comparatively shallow and close together so that the ribs 9 separating the corrugations will be thin at the outer edge, thus forming in effect teeth to engage the lash, while the corrugationsbetween the ribs receive the knots on the lash so that when the top is struck, the lash not only frictionally engages it but it also engages the .ribs and the corrugations between the ribs and clings and pulls without slipping over the surface.

Instead however of separating the corru ations by sharp ribs, they may be separated y blunt ribs as shown in'Fig. 4. These ribs and also the ribs of the prior construction do not necessarily project beyond the normal surface of the body, hence are not in that sense projections from the body,'but are formed by either milling or pressing the corrugations.

Frequently whenthe top is spinning, it will move over close to a wall or fence or other place when it cannot be whipped by blows on itsside. When this happens the rotation may be continued and the top drawn away from the wall, etc, by whipping it directly on the upper surface 10 which is corrugated and ribbed similar to the cylindrical sides, the corrugations all converging to and preferably stopping short of the center of the upper surface.

The whip is substantially the same as that heretofore used, and is composed of a stock or handle having a thong of rawhide leather attached at one end and a cord lash attached to the free end of the leather, the cord being knotted.

The top is started spinning by winding the whole length of the lash and thong around the fluted cylindrical portion, and laying the top on the floor or ground, with the end of the stock to which the thong is attached under the upper end of the top. By now imparting the proper movement to the stock, the top will be thrown away from the player, .the outward movement causing it to turn in a direction to unwind the lash thereon and when it strikes the floor or ground it will spin like the ordina to and the spinning motion can be inde nite y continued by whipping in the Well known manner. I

The corrugations in the side and top of the top can be made by milling but I prefer to form them by pressure with dies.

It is evident that the shape of'the corrugations and ribs between the corrugations may be varied hence I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to the shapes shown in the drawings.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. A top of the classdescribed composed of a body portion the sides and top surface of which are provided with corrugations, the corrugations on the top extending inwardly beyond the corrugations in the sides.

2. A top of the class described composed of a body portion the sides and top surface of which are provided with pointed or sharp ribs, eziitendin inwardly beyond the bases of the ribs on t e side of the body.

3. A top of the class described composed of a body the sides and top surface of which are provided with ribs, the ribs on the top extending inwardly beyond the bases of the ribs on the sides.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE ROWLAND.

Witnesses W. T. GRAHAM, CHAS. G. PAssMoRn.

the ribs on the top of the body 

